Rumours surfaced at the Hungarian Grand Prix that Alonso was in the frame to replace Mark Webber in 2014 after Alonso's manager met with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. With Horner unwilling to dismiss the speculation it now appears that two of Vettel's main title rivals this season are candidates to join him next year.

Asked who would be his preference as his team-mate out of the two, Vettel replied: "I'd prefer Kimi.

"I need to be careful now, but nothing against Fernando, I really respect him a lot as a driver," he told the BBC. "But I respect Kimi on track, off track, because he has always been very straight with me. From that point of view it would be a bit easier."

Daniel Ricciardo also remains in contention for the vacant seat at Red Bull having impressed the team during the Silverstone Young Driver Test.